Introduction: Criminal investigation, ensemble of methods by which crimes are studied and cri minals apprehended.

The criminal investigator seeks to ascertain the methods, mo tives, and identities of criminals and the identity of victims and may also sear ch for and interrogate witnesses. Identification of a criminal who has left no fingerprints or other conclusive ev idence can often be advanced by analysis of the modus operandi; professional cri minals tend to stick to a certain technique (e.g., forcing entrance), to seek ce rtain types of booty, and to leave a certain trademark (e.g., the means by which a victim is tied up). Criminal-investigation departments compile such data, as well as lists of stolen and lost property, and have ready access to such public records as automobile and firearms registrations and such private records as lau ndry and dry-cleaners marks, pawnshop and secondhand-dealers transactions, and man y more. Information to the police and their powers to investigate: According to the Code of Criminal procedure,1898 the information to the police an d their powers to investigate is given in chapterXIV, section 154 to 176. Every se ction of the code is explained as followings: Information in cognizable cases: 1. Every information relating to the commission of a cognizable offence, if given orally to an officer in charge of a police station, shall be reduced to w riting by him or under his direction, and be read over to the informant; and eve ry such information, whether given in writing or reduced to writing as aforesaid , shall be signed by the person giving it, and the substance thereof shall be en tered in a book to be kept by such officer in such form as the State Government may prescribe in this behalf. 2. A copy of the information as recorded under Sub-Section (1) shall be giv en forthwith, free of cost, to the informant. 3. Any person, aggrieved by a refusal on the part of an officer in charge o f a police station to record the information referred to in Sub-Section (1) may send the substance of such information, in writing and by post, to the Superinte ndent of Police concerned who, if satisfied that such information discloses the commission of a cognizable offence, shall either investigate the case himself or direct an investigation to be made by any police officer subordinate to him, in the manner provided by this Code, and such officer shall have all the powers of an officer in charge of the police station in relation to that offence. Information as to non-cognizable cases and investigation of such cases: 1. When information is given to an officer in charge of a police station of the commission within the limits of such station of a non-cognizable offence, h e shall enter or cause to be entered the substance of the information in a book to be kept by such officer in such form as the State Government may prescribe in this behalf, and refer, the informant to the Magistrate. 2. No police officer shall investigate a non-cognizable case without the or der of a Magistrate having power to try such case or commit the case for trial. 3. Any police officer receiving such order may exercise the same powers in respect of the investigation (except the power to arrest without warrant) as an officer in charge of a police station may exercise in a cognizable case. 4. Where a case relates to two or more offences of which at least one is co gnizable, the case shall be deemed to be a cognizable case, notwithstanding that the other offences are non-cognizable. Police officers power to investigate cognizable cases: 1. Any officer in charge of a police station may, without the order of a Ma gistrate, investigate any cognizable case which a Court having jurisdiction over the local area within the limits of such station would have power to inquire in to or try under the provisions of Chapter XIII. 2. No proceeding of a police officer in any such case shall at any stage be called in question on the ground that the case was one which such officer was n ot empowered under this section to investigate. 3. Any Magistrate empowered under section 190 may order such an investigati on as above-mentioned.

Procedure for investigation: 1. If, from information received or otherwise, an officer in charge of a po lice station has reason to suspect the commission of an offence which he is empo wered under section 156 to investigate, he shall forthwith send a report of the same to a Magistrate empowered to take cognizance of such offence upon a police report and shall proceed in person, or shall depute one of his subordinate offic ers not being below such rank as the State Government may, by general or special order, prescribe in this behalf, to proceed, to the spot, to investigate the fa cts and circumstances of the case, and, if necessary, to take measures for the d iscovery and arrest of the offender: Provided that1. when information as to the commission of any such offence is given again st any person by name and the case is not of a serious nature, the officer in ch arge of a police station need not proceed in person or depute a subordinate offi cer to make an investigation on the spot; 2. if it appears to the officer in charge of a police station that there is no sufficient ground for entering on an investigation, he shall not investigate the case. Provided further that in relation to an offence of rape, the recording of statem ent of the victim shall be conducted at the residence of the victim or in the pl ace of her choice and as far as practicable by a woman police officer in the pre sence of her parents or guardian or near relatives or social worker of the local ity. 2. In each of the cases mentioned in clauses (a) and (b) of the proviso to Sub-Section (1), the officer in charge of the police station shall state in his report his reasons for not fully complying with the requirements to that Sub-Sec tion, and, in the case mentioned in clause (b) of the said proviso, the officer shall also forthwith notify to the informant, if any, in such manner as may be p rescribed by the State Government, the fact that he will not investigate the cas e or cause it to be investigated. Report how submitted: 1. Every report sent to a Magistrate under section 157 shall, if the State Government so directs, be submitted through such superior officer of police as t he Stale Government, by general or special order, appoints in that behalf. 2. Such superior officer may give such instructions to the officer in charg e of the police station as he thinks fit, and shall, after recording such instru ctions on such report, transmit the same without delay to the Magistrate. Power to hold investigation or preliminary inquiry: Such Magistrate, on receiving such report, may direct an investigation, or, if h e thinks fit, at once proceed, or depute any Magistrate subordinate to him to pr oceed, to hold a preliminary inquiry into, or otherwise to dispose of, the case in the manner provided in this Code. Police Officers power to require attendance of witnesses: 1. Any police officer making an investigation under this Chapter may, by or der in writing, require the attendance before himself of any person being within the limits of his own or any adjoining station who, from the information given or otherwise, appears to be acquainted with the fads and circumstances of the ca se; and such person shall attend as so required: Provided that no male person under the age of fifteen years or woman shall be re quired to attend at any place other than the place in which such male person or woman resides. 2. The State Government may, by rules made in this behalf, provide for the payment by the police officer of the reasonable expenses of every person, attend ing under Sub-Section (1) at any place other than his residence. Examination of witnesses by police: 1. Any police officer making an investigation under this Chapter, or any po

lice officer not below such rank as the State Government may, by general or spec ial order, prescribe in this behalf, acting on the requisition of such officer, may examine orally any person supposed to be acquainted with the facts and circu mstances of the case. 2. Such person shall be bound to answer truly all questions relating to suc h case put to him by such officer, other than questions the answers to which wou ld have a tendency to expose him to a criminal charge or to a penalty or forfeit ure. 3. The police officer may reduce into writing any statement made to him in the course of an examination under this section; and if he does so, he shall mak e a separate and true record of the statement of each such person whose statemen t he records. Provided that statement made under this sub-section may also be recorded by audi o-video electronic means. Statements to police not to be signed: Use of statements in evidence: 1. No statement made by any person to a police officer in the course of an investigation under this Chapter, shall, if reduced to writing, be signed by the person making it; nor shall any such statement or any record thereof, whether i n a police diary or otherwise, or any part of such statement or record, be used for any purpose, save as hereinafter provided, at any inquiry or trial in respec t of any offence under investigation at the time when statement was made: Provided that when any witness is called for the prosecution in such inquiry or trial whose statement has been reduced into writing as aforesaid, any part of hi s statement, if duly proved, may be used by the accused, and with the permission of the Court, by the prosecution, to contradict such witness in the manner prov ided by section 145 of the Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872); and when any part of such statement is so used, any part thereof may also be used in the re-examinati on of such witness, but for the purpose only of explaining any matter referred t o in his cross-examination. 2. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to apply to any statement fallin g within the provisions of clause (1) of section 32 of the Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), or to affect the provisions of section 27 of that Act. Explanation An omission to state a fact or circumstance in the statement referre d to in Sub-Section (1) may amount to contradiction if the same appears to be si gnificant and otherwise relevant having regard to the context in which such omis sion occurs and whether any omission amounts to a contradiction in the particula r context shall be a question of fact. No inducement to be offered: 1. No police officer or other person in authority shall offer or make, or c ause to be offered or made, any such inducement, threat or promise as is mention ed in section 24 of the Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872). 2. But no police officer or other person shall prevent, by any caution or o therwise, any person from making in the course of any investigation under this C hapter any statement which he may be disposed to make of his own free will: Provided that nothing in this Sub-Section shall affect the provisions of Sub-Sec tion (4) of section 164. Recording of confessions and statements: 1. Any Metropolitan Magistrate or Judicial Magistrate may, whether or not h e has jurisdiction in the case, record any confession or statement made to him i n the course of an investigation under this Chapter or under any other law for t he time being in force, or at any time afterwards before the commencement of the inquiry or trial: Provided that any confession or statement made under this sub-section may also b e recorded by audio-video electronic means in the presence of the advocate of th e person accused of an offence;

Provided further that no confession shall be recorded by a police officer on who m any power of a Magistrate has been conferred under any law for the time being in force. 2. The Magistrate shall, before recording any such confession, explain to t he person making it that he is not bound to make a confession and that, if he do es so, it may be used as evidence against him; and the Magistrate shall not reco rd any such confession unless, upon questioning the person making it, he has rea son to believe that it is being made voluntarily. 3. If at any time before the confession is recorded, the person appearing b efore the Magistrate states that he is not willing to make the confession, the M agistrate shall not authorise the detention of such person in police custody. 4. Any such confession shall be recorded in the manner provided in section 281 for recording the examination of an accused person and shall be signed by th e person making the confession; and the Magistrate shall make a memorandum at th e foot of such record to the following effect:I have explained to (name) that he is not bound to make a confession and that, if he does so, any confession he may make may be used as evidence against him and I believe that this confession was voluntarily made. It was taken in my presence and hearing, and was read over to the person making it and admitted by him to b e correct, and it contains a full and true account of the statement made by him. (Signed) A.B. Magistrate. 5. Any statement (other than a confession) made under Sub-Section (1) shall be recorded in such manner hereinafter provided for the recording of evidence a s is, in the opinion of the Magistrate, best fitted to the circumstances of the case; and the Magistrate shall have power to administer oath to the person whose statement is so recorded. 6. The Magistrate recording a confession or statement under this section sh all forward it to the Magistrate by whom the case is to be inquired into or trie d. Medical examination of the victim of rape: 1. Where, during the stage when an offence of committing rape or attempt to commit rape is under investigation, it is proposed to get the person of the wom an with whom rape is alleged or attempted to have been committed or attempted, e xamined by a medical expert, such examination shall be conducted by a registered medical practitioner employed in a hospital run by the Government or a local au thority and in the absence of such a practitioner, by any other registered medic al practitioner, with the consent of such woman or of a person competent to give such consent on her behalf and such woman shall be sent to such registered medi cal practitioner within twenty-four hours from the time of receiving the informa tion relating to the commission of such offence. 2. The registered medical practitioner, to whom such woman is sent shall, w ithout delay, examine her person and prepare a report of his examination giving the following particulars, namely1. the name and address of the woman and of the person by whom she was brou ght; 2. the age of the woman; 3. the description of material taken from the person of the woman for DNA p rofiling; 4. marks of injury, if any, on the person of the woman; 5. general mental condition of the woman; and 6. other material particulars in reasonable detail, 3. The report shall state precisely the reasons for each conclusion arrived at. 4. The report shall specifically record that the consent of the woman or of the person competent, to give such consent on her behalf to such examination ha

d been obtained. 5. The exact time of commencement and completion of the examination shall a lso be noted in the report. 6. The registered medical practitioner shall, without delay forward the rep ort to the investigating officer who shall forward it to the Magistrate referred to in section 173 as part of the documents referred to in clause (a) of Sub-Sec tion (5) of that section. 7. Nothing in this section shall be construed as rendering lawful any exami nation without the consent of the woman or of any person competent to give such consent on her behalf. Explanation For the purposes of this section, examination and registered medical pr actitioner shall have the same meanings as in section 53. Search by police officer: 1. Whenever an officer in charge of police station or a police officer maki ng an investigation has reasonable grounds for believing that anything necessary for the purposes of an investigation into any offence which he is authorised to investigate may be found in any place within the limits of the police station o f which he is in charge, or to which he is attached, and that such thing cannot in his opinion be otherwise obtained without undue delay, such officer may, afte r recording in writing the grounds of his belief and specifying in such writing, so far as possible, the thing for which search is to be made, search, or cause search to be made, for such thing in any place within the limits of such station . 2. A police officer proceeding under Sub-Section (1), shall, if practicable , conduct the search in person. 3. If he is unable to conduct the search in person, and there is no other p erson competent to make the search present at the time, he may, after recording in writing his reasons for so doing, require any officer subordinate to him to m ake the search, and he shall deliver to such subordinate officer an order in wri ting, specifying the place to be searched, and so far as possible, the thing for which search is to be made; and such subordinate officer may thereupon search f or such thing in such place. 4. The provisions of this Code as to search-warrants and the general provis ions as to searches contained in section 100 shall, so far as may be, apply to a search made under this section. 5. Copies of any record made under Sub-Section (1) or Sub-Section (3) shall forthwith be sent to the nearest Magistrate empowered to take cognizance to the offence, and the owner or occupier of the place searched shall, on application, be furnished, free of cost, with a copy of the same by the Magistrate. When officer in charge of police station may require another to issue search-war rant: 1. An officer in charge of a police station or a police officer not being b elow the rank of sub-Inspector making an investigation may require an officer in charge of another police station, whether in the same or a different district, to cause a search to be made in any place, in any case in which the former offic er might cause such search to be made, within the limits of his own station. 2. Such officer, on being so required, shall proceed according to the provi sions of section 165, and shall forward the thing found, if any, to the officer at whose request the search was made. 3. Whenever there is reason to believe that the delay occasioned by requiri ng an officer in charge of another police station to cause a search to be made u nder Sub-Section (1) might result in evidence of the commission of an offence be ing concealed or destroyed, it shall be lawful for an officer in charge of a pol ice station or a police officer making any investigation under this Chapter to s earch, or cause to be searched, any place in the limits of another police statio n in accordance with the provisions of section 165, as if such place were within the limits of his own police station. 4. Any officer conducting a search under Sub-Section (3) shall forthwith se nd notice of the search to the officer in charge of the police station within th

e limits of which such place is situate, and shall also send with such notice a copy of the list (if any) prepared under section 100, and shall also send to the nearest Magistrate empowered to take cognizance of the offence, copies of the r ecords referred to in Sub-Sections (1) and (3) of section 165. 5. The owner or occupier of the place searched shall, on application, be fu rnished free of cost with a copy of any record sent to the Magistrate under SubSection (4). Letter of request to competent authority for investigation in a country or place outside Bangladesh: 1. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Code, if, in the course of an investigation into an offence, an application is made by the investigating offi cer or any officer superior in rank to the investigating officer that evidence m ay be available in a country or place outside Bangladesh, any Criminal Court may issue letter of request to a Court or an authority in that country or place com petent to deal with such request to examine orally any person supposed to be acq uainted with the facts and circumstances of the case and to record his statement made in the course of such examination and also to require such person or any o ther person to produce any document or thing which may be in his possession pert aining to the case and to forward all the evidence so taken or collected or the authenticated copies thereof or the thing so collected to the Court issuing such letter. 2. The letter of request shall be transmitted in such manner as the Central Government may specify in this behalf. 3. Every statement recorded or document or thing received under Sub-Section (1) shall be deemed to be the evidence collected during the course of investiga tion under this Chapter. Letter of request from a country or place outside Bangladesh to a Court or an au thority for investigation in Bangladesh: 1. Upon receipt of a letter of request from a Court or an authority in a co untry or place outside Bangladesh competent to issue such letter in that country or place for the examination of any person or production of any document or thi ng in relation to an offence under investigation in that country or place, the C entral Government may, if it thinks fit1. forward the same to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate or Chief Judicial Magistrate or such Metropolitan Magistrate or Judicial Magistrate as he may appo int in this behalf, who shall thereupon summon the person before him and record his statement or cause the document or thing to be produced, or 2. send the letter to any police officer for investigation, who shall there upon investigate into the offence in the same manner, as if the offence had been committed within Bangladesh. 2. All the evidence taken or collected under Sub-Section (1), or authentica ted copies thereof or the thing so collected, shall be forwarded by the Magistra te or police officer, as the case may be, to the Central Government for transmis sion to the Court or the authority issuing the letter of request, in such manner as the Central Government may deem fit. Procedure when investigation cannot be completed in twenty-four hours: 1. Whenever any person is arrested and detained in custody, and it appears that the investigation cannot be completed within the period of twenty-four hour s fixed by section 57, and there are grounds for believing that the accusation o r information is well-founded, the officer in charge of the police station or th e police officer making the investigation, if he is not below the rank of sub-in spector, shall forthwith transmit to the nearest Judicial Magistrate a copy of t he entries in the diary hereinafter prescribed relating to the case, and shall a t the same time forward the accused to such Magistrate. 2. The Magistrate to whom an accused person is forwarded under this section may, whether he has or has not jurisdiction to try the case, from time to time, authorise the detention of the accused in such custody as such Magistrate think s fit, a term not exceeding fifteen days in the whole; and if he has no jurisdic tion to try the case or commit it for trial, and considers further detention unn ecessary, he may order the accused to be forwarded to a Magistrate having such j

urisdiction: Provided that1. the Magistrate may authorise the detention of the accused person, otherw ise than in the custody of the police, beyond the period of fifteen days, if he is satisfied that adequate grounds exist for doing so, but no Magistrate shall a uthorise the detention of the accused person in custody under this paragraph for a total period exceeding1. ninety days, where the investigation relates to an offence punishable wi th death, imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a term of not less than ten years; 2. sixty days, where the investigation relates to any other offence, and, o n the expiry of the said period of ninety days, or sixty days, as the case may b e, the accused person shall be released on bail if he is prepared to and does fu rnish bail, and every person released on bail under this Sub-Section shall be de emed to be to released under the provisions of Chapter XXXIII for the purposes o f that Chapter; 2. no Magistrate shall authorise detention of the accused in custody of the police under this section unless the accused is produced before him in person f or the first time and subsequently every time till the accused remains in the cu stody of the police, but the Magistrate may extend further detention in judicial custody on production of the accused either in person or through the medium of electronic video linkage; 3. no Magistrate of the second class, not specially empowered in this behal f by the High Court, shall authorise detention in the custody of the police. Explanation I For the avoidance of doubts, it is hereby declared that, notwithst anding the expiry of the period specified in paragraph (a), the accused shall be detained in custody so long as he does not furnish bail. Explanation II If any question arises whether an accused person was produced bef ore the Magistrate as required under clause (b), the production of the accused p erson may be proved by his signature on the order authorising detention or by th e order certified by the Magistrate as to production of the accused person throu gh the medium of electronic video linkage, as the case may be. 2A. Notwithstanding anything contained in Sub-Section (1) or Sub-Section (2), th e officer in charge of the police station or the police officer making the inves tigation, if he is not below the rank of a sub-inspector, may, where a Judicial Magistrate is not available, transmit to the nearest Executive Magistrate, on wh om the powers of a Judicial Magistrate or Metropolitan Magistrate have been conf erred, a copy of the entry in the diary hereinafter prescribed relating to the c ase, and shall, at the same time, forward the accused to such Executive Magistra te, and there upon such Executive Magistrate, may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, authorise the detention of the accused person in such custody as he ma y think fit for a term not exceeding seven days in the aggregate; and on the expiry of the period of detention so authorised, the accused person s hall be released on bail except where an order for further detention of the accu sed person has been made by a Magistrate competent to make such order; and, where an order for such further detention is made, the period during which the accused person was detained in custody under the orders made by an Executive Magistrate under this Sub-Section, shall be taken into account in computing the period specified in paragraph (a) of the proviso to Sub-Section (2): Provided that before the expiry of the period aforesaid, the Executive Magistrat e shall transmit to the nearest Judicial Magistrate the records of the case toge ther with a copy of the entries in the diary relating to the case which was tran smitted to him by the officer in charge of the police station or the police offi

cer making the investigation, as the case may be. Provided further that in case of a woman under eighteen years of age, the detent ion shall be authorised to be in the custody of a remand home or recognised soci al institution. 3. A Magistrate authorising under this section detention in the custody of the police shall record his reasons for so doing. 4. Any Magistrate other than the Chief Judicial Magistrate making such orde r shall forward a copy of his order, with his reasons for making it, to the Chie f Judicial Magistrate. 5. If in any case triable by a Magistrate as a summons-case, the investigat ion is not concluded within a period of six months from the date on which the ac cused was arrested, the Magistrate shall make an order stopping further investig ation into the offence unless the officer making the investigation satisfies the Magistrate that for special reasons and in the interests of justice the continu ation of the investigation beyond the period of six months is necessary. 6. Where any order stopping further investigation into an offence has been made under Sub-Section (5), the Sessions Judge may, if he is satisfied, on an ap plication made to him or otherwise, that further investigation into the offence ought to be made, vacate the order made under Sub-Section (5) and direct further investigation to be made into the offence subject to such directions with regar d to bail and other matters as he may specify. Report of investigation by subordinate police officer: When any subordinate police officer has made any investigation under this Chapte r, he shall report the result of such investigation to the officer in charge of the police station. Release of accused when evidence deficient: If, upon an investigation under this Chapter, it appears to the officer in charg e of the police station that there is not sufficient, evidence or reasonable gro und of suspicion to justify the forwarding of the accused to a Magistrate, such officer shall, if such person is in custody, release him on his executing a bond , with or without sureties, as such officer may direct, to appear, if and when s o required, before a Magistrate empowered to take cognizance of the offence on a police report, and to try the accused or commit him for trial. Cases to be sent to Magistrate when evidence is sufficient: 1. If, upon an investigation under this Chapter, it appears to the officer in charge of the police station that there is sufficient evidence or reasonable ground as aforesaid, such officer shall forward the accused under custody to a M agistrate empowered to take cognizance of the offence upon a police report and t o try the accused or commit him for trial, or, if the offence is bailable and th e accused is able to give security, shall take security from him for his appeara nce before such Magistrate on a day fixed and for his attendance from day to day before such Magistrate until otherwise directed. 2. When the officer in charge of a police station forwards an accused perso n to a Magistrate or takes security for his appearance before such Magistrate un der this section, he shall send to such Magistrate any weapon or other article w hich it may be necessary to produce before him, and shall require the complainan t (if any) and so many of the persons who appear to such officer to be acquainte d with the facts and circumstances of the case as he may think necessary, to exe cute a bond to appear before the Magistrate as thereby directed and prosecute or give evidence (as the case may be) in the matter of the charge against the accu sed. 3. If the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate is mentioned in the bond, such Court shall be held to include any Court to which such Magistrate may refer the case for inquiry or trial, provided reasonable notice of such reference is given to such complainant or persons. 4. The officer in whose presence the bond is executed shall deliver a copy thereof to one of the persons who executed it, and shall then send to the Magist rate the original with his report. Complainant and witnesses not to be required to accompany police officer and not

to be subject to restraint: No complainant or witness on his way to any Court shall be required to accompany a police officer, or shall be subject to unnecessary restraint or inconvenience , or required to give any security for his appearance other than his own bond: Provided that, if any complainant or witness refuses to attend or to execute a b ond as directed in section 170, the officer in charge of the police station may forward him in custody to the Magistrate, who may detain him in custody until he executes such bond, or until the hearing of the case is completed. Diary of proceeding in investigation: 1. Every police officer making an investigation under this Chapter shall da y by day enter his proceeding in the investigation in a diary, setting forth the time at which the information reached him, the time at which he began and close d his investigation, the place or places visited by Mm, and a statement of the c ircumstances ascertained through his investigation. 1A. The statements of witnesses recorded during the course of investigation unde r section 161 shall be inserted in the case diary. 1B. The diary referred to in sub-section (1) shall be a volume and duly paginate d. 2. Any Criminal Court may send for the police diaries of a case under inqui ry or trial in such Court, and may use such diaries, not as evidence in the case , but to aid it in such inquiry or trial. 3. Neither the accused nor his agents shall be entitled to call for such di aries, nor shall he or they be entitled to see them merely because they are refe rred to by the Court; but, if they are used by the police officer who made them to refresh his memory, or if the Court uses them for the purpose of contradictin g such police officer, the provisions of section 161 or section 145, as the case may be, of the Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), shall apply. Report of police officer on completion of investigation: 1. Every investigation under this Chapter shall be completed without unnece ssary delay. 1A. The investigation in relation to rape of a child may be completed within thr ee months from the date on which the information was recorded by the officer in charge of the police station. 2. 1. As soon as it is completed, the officer in charge of the police station shall forward to a Magistrate empowered to take cognizance of the offence on a p olice report, a report in the form prescribed by the State Government, stating1. the names of the parties; 2. the nature of the information; 3. the names of the persons who appear to be acquainted with the circumstan ces of the case; 4. whether any offence appears to have been committed and, if so, by whom; 5. whether the accused has been arrested; 6. whether he has been released on his bond and, if so, whether with or wit hout sureties; 7. whether he has been forwarded in custody under section 170. 8. whether the report of medical examination of the woman has been attached where investigation relates to an offence under section 376, 376A, 376B, 376C o r 376D of the Penal Code. 2. The officer shall also communicate, in such manner as may be prescribed by the State Government, the action taken by him, to the person, if any whom the information relating to the commission of the offence was first given. 3. Where a superior officer of police has been appointed under section 158, the report, shall, in any case in which the State Government by general or spec ial order so directs, be submitted through that officer, and he may, pending the orders of the Magistrate, direct the officer in charge of the police station to

make further investigation. 4. Whenever it appears from a report forwarded under this section that the accused has been released on his bond, the Magistrate shall make such order for the discharge of such bond or otherwise as he thinks fit. 5. When such report is in respect of a case to which section 170 applies, t he police officer shall forward to the Magistrate along with the report1. all documents or relevant extracts thereof on which the prosecution prop oses to rely other than those already sent to the Magistrate during investigatio n; 2. the statements recorded under section 161 of all the persons whom the pr osecution proposes to examine as its witnesses. 6. If the police officer is of opinion that any part of any such statement is not relevant to the subject-matter of the proceeding or that its disclosure t o the accused is not essential in the interests of justice and is inexpedient in the public interest, he shall indicate that part of the statement and append a note requesting the Magistrate to exclude that part from the copies to be grante d to the accused and stating his reasons for making such request. 7. Where the police officer investigating the case finds it convenient so t o do, he may furnish to the accused copies of all or any of the documents referr ed to in Sub-Section (5). 8. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to preclude further investigatio n in respect of an offence after a report under Sub-Section (2) has been forward ed to the Magistrate and, where upon such investigation, the officer in charge o f the police station obtains further evidence, oral or documentary, he shall for ward to the Magistrate a further report or reports regarding, such evidence in t he form prescribed; and the provisions of Sub-Sections (2) to (6) shall, as far as may be, apply in relation to such report or reports as they apply in relation to a report forwarded under Sub-Section (2). Police to inquire and report on suicide, etc.: 1. When the officer in charge of a police station or some other police offi cer specially empowered by the State Government in that behalf receives informat ion that a person has committed suicide, or has been killed by another or by an animal or by machinery or by an accident, or has died under circumstances raisin g a reasonable suspicion that some other person has committed an offence, he sha ll immediately give intimation thereof to the nearest Executive Magistrate empow ered to hold inquests, and, unless otherwise directed by any rule prescribed by the State Government, or by any general or special order of the District or Subdivisional Magistrate, shall proceed to the place where the body of such decease d person is, and there, in the presence of two or more respectable inhabitants o f the neighbourhood shall make an investigation, and draw up a report of the app arent cause of death, describing such wounds, fractures, bruises, and other mark s of injury as may be found on the body, and stating in what manner, or by what weapon or instrument (if any); such marks appear to have been inflicted. 2. The report shall be signed by such police officer and other persons, or by so many of them as concur therein, and shall be forthwith forwarded to the Di strict Magistrate or the Sub-divisional Magistrate. 3. When 1. the case involves suicide by a woman within seven years of her marriage; or 2. the case relates to the death of a woman within seven years of her marri age in any circumstances raising a reasonable suspicion that some other person c ommitted an offence in relation to such woman; or 3. the case relates to the death of a woman within seven years of her marri age and any relative of the woman has made a request in this behalf; or 4. there is any doubt regarding the cause of death; or 5. the police officer for any other reason considers it expedient so to do, he shall, subject to such rules as the State Government may prescribe in this b ehalf, forward the body, with a view to its being examined, to the nearest Civil Surgeon, or other qualified medical man appointed in this behalf by the State G overnment, if the state of the weather and the distance admit of its being so fo

rwarded without risk of such putrefaction on the road as would render such exami nation useless. 4. The following Magistrates are empowered to hold inquests, namely, any Di strict Magistrate or Sub-divisional Magistrate and any other Executive Magistrat e specially empowered in this behalf by the State Government or the District Mag istrate. Power to summon persons: 1. A police officer proceeding under section 174 may, by order in writing, summon two or more persons as aforesaid for the purpose of the said investigatio n, and any other person who appears to be acquainted with the facts of the case and every person so summoned shall be bound to attend and to answer truly all qu estions other than questions is the answers to which have a tendency to expose h im to a criminal charge or to a forfeiture. 2. If the facts do not disclose a cognizable offence to which section 170 a pplies, such persons shall not be required by the police officer to attend a Mag istrates Court. Inquiry by Magistrate into cause of death: 1. When any person dies while in the custody of the police or when the case is of the nature referred to in clause (i) or clause (ii) of Sub-Section (3) of section 174, the nearest Magistrate empowered to hold inquests shall, and in an y other case mentioned in Sub-Section (1) of section 174, any Magistrate so empo wered may hold an inquiry into the cause of death either instead of, or in addit ion to, the investigation held by the police officer; and if he does so, he shal l have all the powers in conducting it which he would have in holding an inquiry into an offence. 1A. Where,1. any person dies or disappears, or 2. rape is alleged to have been committed on any woman, while such person o r woman is in the custody of the police or in any other custody authorised by th e Magistrate or the Court, under this Code in addition to the inquiry or investi gation held by the police, an inquiry shall be held by the Judicial Magistrate o r the Metropolitan Magistrate, as the case may be, within whose local jurisdicti on the offences has been committed. 2. The Magistrate holding such an inquiry shall record the evidence taken b y him in connection therewith in any manner hereinafter prescribed according to the circumstances of the case. 3. Whenever such Magistrate considers it expedient to make an examination o f the dead body of any person who has been already interred, in order to discove r the cause of his death, the Magistrate may cause the body to be disinterred an d examined. 4. Where an inquiry is to be held under this section, the Magistrate shall, wherever practicable, inform the relatives of the deceased whose names and addr esses are known, and shall allow them to remain present at the inquiry, 5. The Judicial Magistrate or the Metropolitan Magistrate or Executive Magi strate or police officer holding an inquiry or investigation, as the case may be , under Sub-Section (1A) shall, within twenty-four hours of the death of a perso n, forward the body with a view to its being examined to the nearest Civil Surge on or other qualified medical person appointed in this behalf by the State Gover nment, unless it is not possible to do so for reasons to be recorded in writing. Explanation In this section, the expression relative means parents, children broth ers, sisters and spouse.